Coleman, the third deaf player to compete in the NationalFootball League, has beaten the odds and his story has inspiredthe hearing impaired and others battling adversity around theglobe.

An ad he did for the Duracell batteries that power hishearing aids went viral on YouTube with more than 13 millionviews and led to his becoming a champion to the hearingimpaired, especially among the young.

"They told me it couldn't be done, but I've been deaf sinceI was three, so I didn't listen," Coleman says in the ad.

Coleman, a backup fullback who also plays on special teams,has drawn crowds of reporters during media sessions ahead of theNFL title game.

"We wanted to inspire others. We wanted to let them knowthat whatever accomplishments you want to achieve, regardless ofwhatever obstacles you have to overcome, you can always endure,"he said about the ads.

"Just trust the power within and do what you want to do.That's basically what I'm doing."

Coleman, who rates his ability to hear without his hearingaids as two on a scale to 10, always enjoyed playing sports as aboy and did not take up football until he was 13.

"It was the last sport that I played. When I was younger Iused to play basketball, tried soccer, tried baseball, eventried tennis. I was always a sports junkie," he said.

His parents encouraged him.

"'Just go out there and be you. Don't worry about anybodyelse. If people start making fun of you, just walk away or tellme,'" my mom would say.

"'You only want to surround yourself with people that wantto see you succeed.

"'The ones that don't, and want to pull you down to theirlevel, walk away from them. Ignore them'. It kind of stuck,because now I'm really good at ignoring things."

Asked if anybody ever told him he could not succeed, the6-foot, 233-pound Coleman said: "Maybe they have, but theydidn't say it to my face. Maybe they did, but I didn't know itbecause I didn't really listen to them."

Coleman showed his grit in his first high school varsitygame in Fullerton, California, bouncing back from three fumblesin the first half to score three touchdowns in the second half.

He went to college at UCLA and rushed for 1,700 yards and 19touchdowns but went undrafted in 2012.

The Vikings signed Coleman as a free agent, but he waswaived in training camp. The Seahawks signed him in December2012, making him the NFL's first legally deaf offensive player.

Coleman is able to communicate verbally with help of hearingaids and lip reading and said he has had no trouble.

"The hardest thing about being in the deaf community isgetting over wall one," he said.

The fullback experienced a feel good moment after the NFCtitle game victory over San Francisco from a new fan.

Nine-year-old New Jersey girl Riley Kovalcik, who like hertwin sister Erin wears hearing aids, wrote a letter to Coleman,which her father took a picture of and tweeted to the player.

"It was one of those things where she's not asking foranything," Coleman said.

"She's just saying, 'I have faith in you. You're myinspiration.' That touched my heart. It made me feel warm."

Coleman wrote the girls back, telling them "even though wewear hearing aids, we can still accomplish our goals anddreams!"

"The guy's a hero, plain and simple," said father JakeKovalcik.

"He's not just a hero to my girls, but every kid out therewho has struggled with something."